Ramon Berenguer I of Barcelona

Ramon Berenguer I "the Old" of Barcelona (1023-1076) was the Count of Barcelona from 1035 to 1076, succeeding Berenguer Ramon I of Barcelona and preceding Ramon Berenguer II of Barcelona (in joint rule with Berenguer Ramon II of Barcelona).

Biography
Ramon Berenguer was born in 1023, the son of Count Berenguer Ramon I of Barcelona. He succeeded his father as Count of Barcelona in 1035, and he campaigned against the Moors to extend his domain, establishing Barcelona as the dominant Catalan county. Through imposing heavy taxes on Moorish cities, Ramon Berenguer made Catalonia a prosperous region, and he was the first Catalan count to extend his rule north of the Pyrenees, conquering Carcassone and Razes. Although he was already married to Blanca of Narbonne, he had a bigamous marriage with Pons of Toulouse's wife Almodis de la Marche, leading to the two being excommunicated. Ramon Berenguer died in 1076, and his sons Ramon Berenguer II of Barcelona and Berenguer Ramon II of Barcelona ruled jointly.